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Type: Medium Private VC

Posted by
fearless
on 2011-06-05

I've pitched to Sigma twice for two different start-ups, and Bob Spinner and Josh Breinlinger are sharp, honest people who genuinely want to help founders - whether they end up investing or not.

I think Josh attends a decent amount of shows and conferences, so try and pitch him first if you can. He'll give you input on your model if asked, and possibly presentation tips. A young, rising star in the VC world IMHO, and just a good guy overall.

I've also pitched to Greg Gretsch before and it helps to read his blog before the presentation to get an idea of how he views startup models - he's very marketing metrics centric. He may eat an apple in front of you during your pitch - don't let it throw you.

We pitched to Fahri Dinar and it was unpleasant in the extreme.
It was one of the least enjoyable presentations of our entire round....He was flat affect, didn't say much, and when he did it was always with a negative spin or tone, almost rude...At the end, he said he was interested and then wouldn't respond to emails...

Is it too much to ask for VC's to send you a note after a few days telling you if they want to move forward or not?

If he is this difficult when he is trying to build your trust imagine him on your board when things are tough. Compared to the A players, he is bush league.

Posted by
cfo_can
on 2008-08-14

They listened very quietly (some were asleep) during the presentation. Not one single question. Many of the partners openly typed away at Blackberries or simply looked at their watch. We have never gotten this rude a response from other groups.

Pitching to Sigma is a waste of time. We started with their pleasanton office which is way out in the boonies to drive. Then we were asked to present (twice) to the team in Menlo Park & again a 3rd time with "industry expert" present (which was a person who had worked at Yahoo! years ago).

After 45 days they came back and said "Greg voted no"

Greg Gretsch bullies around his older partners with so called "expertise" in new media & web 2.0. All his calls so far have been crap, so I dont know why his experienced partners give him so much leverage.

Met with a partner from Boston office. He spent 40 minutes asking me some tough questions, but they were mostly intelligent questions (he didn't know the space well). He only seemed moderately excited but asked me to provide more information and said next step was to set up call with Menlo office.

Posted by
Anonymous
on 2007-10-26

PUBLIC:

I had been warned by a colleague that pitching Wade Woodson at Sigma would be a waste of time. I should have listened. Met with Wade in Menlo and he was very sharp, seemed to get it quickly and promised "7-10" days to get back and get going on due-dil. He was genuinely excited.

30 days later, no response. 60 days later, one call. 75 days later he wants to "learn more" etc. and so on. Hey, we're all busy, but if you're not interested then just say so, I have a company to run.

Oher people I have dealt with at Sigma have been great. Smart, diligent and involved.

Posted by
vc_bucks_suck
on 2007-09-16

PUBLIC:

Contrary to my screen name....I do rely on the VC investment scene to finance my ideas. I have raised a fair bit of capital ($75m +). I really don't have alot of good things to say about most firms and partners...overall this is a pretty messed up profession.

But Pete Solvik was one of us before he moved to the dark side. While he is yet to invest in one of my companies, I have spent a bit of time with him and rate him as one of the best.

Worth the time, but do your home work. He WILL ask every hard question - and expect good answers.

I'm CEO of a Solvik/Sigma company and, just to clarify, Sigma did not ask me to post this remark. Pete's a great board member and investor. He's smart and experienced on the business side. But, more than that, he's a regular guy with a human side to him. I've worked with dozens of VCs inside multiple companies and he's at the top of the list.

His experience as an operator makes him extremely insightful and "calm in the pocket"... he rides out the highs and lows really well.

These guys know their stuff. Don't come in with 60 slides. Get to the point and deliver a good message. I met with 3 partners in Boston one of whom was Bob Davoli. He listen and asked good questions. The other two whom I don't remember seemed uninterested and boaderline rude.

Sigma is a relatively small VC firm with some very smart experienced Operators. Unlike many VC groups that are finance/MBA/reformed investment banker types, Sigma has attracted a talented group of partners who ran high growth tech businesses. Also The Funded has them listed in Menlo Park, but they also have offices in Pleasanton and Boston.